The bright new era at Goodison Park had a sluggish opening 45 minutes. Then, just as the tannoy announcer reported 'One extra minute', Sandro Ramirez fed Daniel Calvert-Lewin, whose cross was met with a terrific jump and header from Wayne Rooney. Cue bedlam.

Rooney never going to be denied the headlines on a first Premier League appearance for his boyhood club for 13 years. After all, he's been writing his own scripts since he announced himself to the world on the same ground with a goal against Arsenal aged 16.

Stoke manager Mark Hughes didn't even bother to namecheck him in describing the winner. 'You know who was always going to be part of the story and that's how it panned out,' he grimaced.

Wayne Rooney completed his return to Goodison Park with a sensational header to beat Stoke 1-0 in their opening game

The Toffees forward ghosted into the box after pushing away Joe Allen before Dominic Calvert-Lewin floated the ball in

His header sailed beyond Jack Butland in the Stoke goal as he registered his first goal for Everton since leaving in 2004

Rooney sprints to the adoring fans as team-mates Daby Klaassen and Idrissa Gueye celebrate with the returning hero

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On an afternoon that Ronald Koeman gave five expensive signings their Everton league debuts, it was the sixth, Rooney, who proved most influential, not just for the quality of his finish – his first goal for the club in 4,870 days – but the way he helped his team-mates get over the line.

Not only was half the team new but Koeman also opted for a different system, 3-5-2, which he hastily altered at the interval because it looked disjointed.

Yet Rooney remained above the fray, putting his foot on the ball at the right times and producing the pass of the match which would have given Calvert-Lewin a second goal had it not been for a wonderful last-ditch challenge by Kurt Zouma.

'It was a great goal by Wayne and he was the one player in an Everton shirt who was comfortable on the pitch from the first second to the last,' said Koeman.

Everton boss Ronald Koeman steps out of the tunnel at Goodison Park ahead of their Premier League opener

Everton new boy Michael Keane sets his stall out early as he puts in a tackle on Stoke defender Erik Pieters

Stoke playmaker Joe Allen shifts the ball away from Morgan Schneiderlin during a glorious day on Merseyside

Allen puts pressure on Rooney as the former Manchester United captain looks to control a difficult ball

Stoke boss Mark Hughes gestures from the sideline after Bojan Krkic is brought down during a heavy challenge

Leighton Baines, who was honoured for his 10 years of service before the game, tugs back Xherdan Shaqiri

Gueye unleashes a shot as Saido Berahino attempts to block but the ball fizzes wide and the deadlock is not broken

'Everton decision he made was the right one. In difficult moments of the game, he showed his experience. He was clever on the ball. That is why we signed him, to show his team-mates all that experience.'

And boyish joy too. When Calvert-Lewin swung over a wonderful arced cross towards the penalty spot, Rooney took advantage of an absent Stoke defence to get admirable climb in his leap and power a header that gave Jack Butland no chance.

The run to the corner flag and knee slide celebration was a pure spontaneous release of emotion. Stoke must be sick of him. In January Rooney scored a late free-kick against them to claim the Manchester United goalscoring record from Sir Bobby Charlton.

Such was the hype surrounding Everton this season after a number of key signings, you would have forgiven Stoke if they hadn't bothered to turn up.

Yet it was the visitors who looked more comfortable playing three-at-the-back in the opening 45 minutes albeit without troubling Everton's £30million 'keeper Jordan Pickford.

In contrast, Koeman's two wing-backs Calvert-Lewin and Leighton Baines looked very odd bedfellows and despite taking the lead in injury-time, Koeman took off Ashley Williams at the turnaround and sent on specialist right-back Cuco Martina to revert to a standard 4-4-2.

Everton looked far more cohesive after that and Stoke's only chance of an equaliser came right at the death when Pickford dived brilliantly to keep out Shaqiri's shot with the visitor's first shot on target.

'The team looked nervous on the ball in the first half,' said Koeman. 'It was important to change the system and we were more comfortable in the second half without creating big chances.

But Rooney was the man to open the scoring for Everton this season after his burst into the box with a terrific run

He sends his header back across goal leaving Butland helpless before he ran off in celebration at Goodison Park

Rooney's team-mates congratulate him as he opens his Everton account for the second time with a glorious header

Hughes tells his team to calm down and regroup after Everton take the lead but his side went into the break 1-0 down

Cuco Martina, who replaced Ashley Williams at half time, fends off the advances of defender Geoff Cameron

Rooney and Allen don't hold back as the pair go full-blooded into a tackle but the Everton man comes away with the ball

Stoke's new signing Darren Fletcher attempts to rally his troops as they bid for an equaliser at Goodison Park

'We had a lot of new players out there which maybe didn't help. But we didn't have a lot of options with Gareth Barry, Ross Barkley, James McCarthy, Seamus Coleman, Yanick Bolasie, Ramiro Funes Mori all injured.

'But we had more chances, more shots on target and deserved to win. A clean sheet was very important.'

Stoke lost their attacking talisman Marko Arnautovic to West Ham in the summer and for all the pretty patterns they weaved, it was only when Peter Crouch and debutant Eric Choupo-Moting came on for the last 18 minutes, they carried much attacking threat.

'Everton have spent a lot of money but I don't think there was too much between the two teams,' said Hughes afterwards.

'We needed to get to half-time without giving Wayne Rooney a free header. That at the great save from Pickford at the end were the key moments. Everton had to change their shape second half to address the problems we gave them.'

Jack Butland also made a good save to keep out Calvert-Lewin so on balance Everton were worthy winners. They only lost twice in the league at Goodison last season and could make it a fortress again. With Rooney back, nobody even felt the need to mention Romelu Lukaku and that's an achievement in itself.

Kurt Zouma, on loan from Chelsea, slides in to dispossess Dominic Calvert-Lewin as the striker pulls the trigger on a shot

Jordan Pickford makes himself big as he smothers a shot from close range from Peter Crouch late on in the game